War in the Pacific Flashcards
Japan joins Germany and Italy in triple pact after expanding into Manchuria/China
Joins axis powers
Us Places embargo on oil/steel to Japan– japan responses with what?
Embargo since Japan kept expanding its empire to US allies. Japan responds with pearl harbor.
Doolittle Raid
Tokyo raid, first air raid to strike Japanese home islands.
1942 April- Battle of the Coral Sea
(american victory) major naval battle between imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air froces from US/Aus. taking place in pacific
1942 June- Importance of battle of midway
American victory, US became ahead.
1942 Allies on the offensive “island hopping”
military strategy used by the Us- forces only concentrate their resources, setting up military forces/supplies on strategically important islands.
Succesful bcause it allowed US to gain control over islands in the Pacific to get close enough to Japan to launch a mainland invasion
systematic bombing of Japan
Began june 1944 and continued until the end of the war in 1945. Conducted B-29 air raids on Japan causing extensive destruction to the country’s cities and killing almost 1 million people.
General Curtis Lemay: firebombing of over 60 Japanese cities
Series of firebombing air raids by US on the night of 9-10 March 1945. Most destructive bombing raid in history. left 100,000 civillians dead and over 1 million homeless.
April-June 1945: Us captures Okinawa
last major battle of WW2. more than 180,000 US army and US marine corps troops descended on the Pacific Islands of OKinawa for a final push towards Japan.
Truman learns of Manhatten project success at Postdam and tells stalin?
Truman Tells Stalin about the use of Atomic bomb
August 6th- Hiroshima
Atomic Bomb
August 8th USSR enters war against japan
USSR- Soviet Union invasion of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo
August 9th Nagasaki
Atomic bomb
August 15th Hirihito speaks
emperor hirohito broadcasts the news of Japan’s surrender to the Japanese people
Sept 2nd
Formal surrender
